Checking of Camera Body

• A general cosmetic check on the camera body, acceptance level is up to you.
  
  
• Check if scratches are found on the screws, cover plate at the film wind lever or any area which you think it is for open the camera for repair. If scratches are found, repair might have been performed by non professional people. There is a risk that some hidden problem on the camera. You have to prepare for taking the camera to a professional or authorized repair center.
  
  
• Check the battery cover lock and the inside of battery compartment to see if there are any rust on the electrical contact point.
  
  
• Look into the viewfinder (without lens) to see if the view are clear, for some dirt or scratches, replacing the focusing screen might solve the problem. In this case you must ensure the focusing screen for this camera is available on the market. In some cases the dirt is on the prism inside the camera, it require a cleaning to be performed by technical people.
  
  
• Operate the film wind lever to see if it is smooth. Open the camera back to check the interior condition, a little oxide on the film guide rails will not affect picture quality. Check if the film take-up spool rotates with your film wind operation.
  
  
• With the camera back open, switch to manual mode, point the camera (without lens and body cap) to the a wall or floor. Adjust the shutter speed to the longest position (for example 1s), release the shutter and count the time. If you think it is matched approximately then re-check at 1/2s and so on. Starting at around 1/8s you should note the "image" behind the shutter curtain. With each increment of shutter speed, the "image" should be darker. You can then have an idea that the shutter speed is changing with the speed setting.
  
  During the shutter checking, you must be very careful. Even a light touch on the shutter curtain might damage it permanently.
  
  
• Mount a lens to the camera, compare the meter reading with another known good camera. Focus to infinity and check if the infinity mark on the lens aligned. Stop down the aperture and release the shutter to see if the diaphragm work.
  
  
• For OM users, you can check the autoexposure by placing a pieces of un-processed film behind the shutter. Take a few shots on bright and dark area and change the aperture setting to see if the shutter responses to different light level. Of course you can only distinguish the difference of a few seconds to approximately 1/8s.
  
  
• Get a flash on the camera and test if it can be triggered, if it is TTL flash compatible, check against a short distance to see if the flash confirm indicator light.